Best of Preps Metro Wrestler of the Year: Glenwood's Garrick Walker

Bill Welt Staff Writer @billwelt

Friday

Jun 29, 2018 at 8:00 AM

On June 22, The State Journal-Register honored dozens of local high school athletes at the annual Best of Preps awards ceremony. Over the next several days, look for stories telling you more about the top winners. See the full collection of stories at www.sj-r.com/bestofpreps and get them all in a special keepsake section that will be delivered with the July 8 edition of The State Journal-Register.

CHATHAM — Garrick Walker's best and worst moments of the season unfolded in a span of just three days at the Illinois High School Association Class 2A state finals.

The Chatham Glenwood High School senior wrestler started at rock-bottom.

The 152-pound standout conceded a 12-5 decision against Chicago Washington's Baan Rachal in the first round and faced the gloomy prospect of heading home after just one match for the third straight year.

It was exactly the situation that he wanted to avoid.

"After the match, it was a big mental letdown," Walker said. "I was mentally broken. I was very emotional after it. I was talking to my coach and I was like, 'I'm broke. I can't keep doing this because this would be the third time in a row.' I thought my season was going to be done — ended on a loss."

His fate wouldn't be decided until the next day.

It fortunately was on his side this time.

Rachal won his next match and Walker was allowed to wrestle again.

He edged Mundelein Carmel's Tommy Hoy with a 6-5 decision in the consolation bracket and he was just two matches away from his first state medal.

On the third and final day, he took down Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge's Drake Regenhardt with a 4-2 decision.

It set up a climactic showdown with Carbondale's Kolbi Caffey, who had won their last meeting 12-4 for third place at the Lincoln Sectional.

It was a seesaw battle in Champaign, but Walker prevailed by flipping Caffey onto his back in the final moments. The 12-8 decision guaranteed Walker a medal.

"My coaches were in shock and I was just super-hyped," Walker said. "I was just like, 'Let's go!' I screamed at the top of my lungs and saw my grandpa (Randy Henry) in the stands. That was probably the most satisfying moment of my season just because there's no better feeling than beating someone that has beaten you before."

His next match hardly mattered and Walker settled for fourth place.

It was the highest finish of any wrestler in the Central State Eight Conference.

"It's very impressive," former Glenwood coach Jeremy Mosier said. "That weight class, it was absolutely loaded. He's so good at 160, the weight class above him. It's just not in his DNA to try to get in a different weight class to avoid competition, so he stayed at 152."

Walker also guided the Titans (21-3) to a fourth-straight CS8 title and their first state dual berth since 2011 to become The State Journal-Register's Metro Wrestler of the Year.

"All the hard work I put in over the years was definitely worthwhile for even the placement that I did get," Walker said. "Even if it was only fourth, I'm proud of how I ended the season and making it to team state. To be the only second team to make it to team state was pretty gratifying to show all of the hard work we put in together."

It was all done on a "bum" ankle.

Walker (40-9) injured his left ankle while doing a wrestling drill with a teammate just a couple of days ahead of his third trip to Champaign.

Athletic trainer Jon Wiezorek could only tape it up and tell Walker to tough it out.

"Jon said, 'You can hurt all day tomorrow but right now you just need to suck it up,'" Walker said. "He was right. It was hurting the next day. It was just aching. I was like, 'It's OK. I got fourth. I got a medal. It's all good.' At the state dual meet, he was telling me the same thing."

Walker actually aggravated the injury even more the day before state duals in Bloomington while warming up. Although Walker's committed to wrestle at NCAA Division III Millikin University, he planned on taking things easy during the off-season.

It's not hard to understand why.

"It was emotional at the end," Walker said. "It was relieving and sad because it's over. It's finally over. I'm starting a new chapter. It was just really emotional. I was really happy walking away from it even if we didn't come home with some hardware (from state duals). No one can say we did terrible because we wrestled some of the best matches we've ever wrestled. I'm happy with how we ended."

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